Whether your questions about the world are great and important or inconsequential but interesting, the Popular Mechanics "Great Unknowns" series will answer them. Today: Why you cell service sucks.

Ah yes, much better. Cell towerswhy aren't there more of them? Turns out it's not as simple as one might think. Consider this, for starters: Would the sudden appearance of a happy little cell tower right over here enhance the real-life Bob Ross painting that is your backyard vista? Nobody else thinks so either. The nation is already home to some 190,000 cell towers (up from 900 in 1985), but wireless providers face myriad challenges in siting new ones. Nimbyism, reflected most often in local zoning ordinances, is one issue. But the feds have plenty of their own obstacles. Even a skeletal list of regulations is reminiscent of those encyclopedic side-effect disclaimers that accompany ads for any pharmaceutical stronger than foot powder. Wildlife habitats, historic and cultural sites, wetlands, and residential neighborhoods where radio-frequency radiation (or high-intensity white floodlights) might harm or annoy people are all off-limits, to name a very few of the more obvious restrictions.

Many of the rules likely make sense, but they don't make it easy for cell companies to bolster your coverage with new towers. Got a beef? Call your congressmanon a landline.